Railway switch-lamp



N. I. HOEY.

RAILWAY SWITCH LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.29, 1919.

J1',335,503. Patented Mar. 30,1920. 2 1:1

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UNITED STATES NICHOLAS I. HOEY, or

WILMbRE, KENTUCKY.

RAILWAY SWITCH-LAMP.

, Specification of Application filed August 29, 1919. Serial No. 320,682.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NIonoLAs I. HOEY, States of America, and a resident of Wilmore, in the county of Jessamine and State of Kentucky, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in RailwaySwitch-Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway switch or signal lamps, or, more particularly speakused in' connection with switches, semaphores and other similar signal devices in railroad service.

The object of the invention herein is to provide a signal-lamp with lenses or bulliseyes that are adapted to be circularlyshifted on the lamp-barrel for directly prowhite 01' colored, so as ecting a full beam of light, whether clear to get a full-face view of the lens at the desired points in advance on curves where heretofore such full-face view has been impossible at any appreciable distance from the switch-lamp engine crew might easily see in ample time the state of the switch or track ahead at the time of entering or while on a curve and thereby saving the train from accident at the switch that can be easily avoided in the use of my improved circularly-adjustable or rotary-shiftable lens lamp.

The details of structure will be fully hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of railway-track taken at a switch that includes a straight line of siding and a curve in the main-line entered by said switch at a station or elsewhere suitable for said siding, the switch-rails in this view being shown closedfor maintaining the said mainin their ordinary right-angled relation to each other as now in general use; Fig. 2, a View similar to Fig. 1 and, also, Withthe switch-rails closed for maintaining the main-line intact the same as in Fig. 1, butwith the lenses shifted or adjusted on the lamp-barrel so as to direct a full-face view of the clear or white lens that faces the curve up to a point of entrance to said curve or at the farthest point of safety along said curve and embodying my invention therein; Fig. 3, an elevation of the barrel or shell,

with the top or crown in section, and with the circularly adjustable or shiftable lenswhereby the .1

carriers and their clamping-bands shown in dotteddines; Fig. 4, ahorizontal section taken on a line across the center of the lampbarrel, on line m, m, of Fig. 5, or that of the lenses and their shiftable carriers; Fig. 5,'a perspective view of the two corresponding shiftable lens-carriers forming the lIllpOI' tant feature-of my invention herein; Fig. 6, a plan vlew of one of the clamping-bands used for holding said lens-carrier's in ad- ]usted positlon; Fig. 7, a perspective View of the clamping-band shown in Fig. 6; and Flg. 8, a detail elevation of'one of the two gaskets used in the space or annulus between the said shiftable lens-carriers and the lamp-barrel.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a switch-portion of a track with a' lamp of the ordinary type n owv in general use at switches in set-posit1on for a curve in the main-line. The lamp has its lenses mounted stationary on the barrel or shell of its light-chamber, at rightangles to each other, there being two red and two clear or white lenses, indicated by R and W respectively. In said Fig. 1 the red and white lenses are'shown as they should be, the reds being diametrically, in hne with each other and the whites likewise. The switch-points being closed for the main-line, the clear orwhitelensesshould, of course, be directed toward the curve on the left and the straight portion of the main-line on the right-side of the view, indicating safety in both directions along the main-line, and they are so shown in this view, but it will be observed that the fullface of the lens to the left can only be seen at a short distance up the curve, possibly two-hundred yards at the most, as indicated at the star B, the view upon the said left lens along the curve being gradually. lessened or phased down to a very thin'edge of light hardly discernible by the engine crew within a safe distance from the switch, or at least with any degree of accuracy so as to positively avoid danger or accident in the event of an unintended open switch at stead of a strai ht track, then the same justed position on the lamp-barrel or shell,

conditions as to essening the light of the lens, Whether red or wh te, would result and danger of entering an open switch from the main-lineon the right always present and accidents always possible, es ecially to trains runnin at high speed. t is quite evident that t 1e light of the left lens of the lamp in the ordinary form in Fig. 1 could not be seen to advantage at the point of safety (about three-fourths of a mile) indicated by the star A at the point of beginnin along its course from the switch, or the farthest possible for safety of the traflicalongv said-curve from the left.

To remedy the weakness in the use of said ordinary form of switchlamp I provide lens-carriers 1 and 2, made of sheet-metal and each one semicircular, with their opposite vertical edges flanged at 3 to stiffen them and to form convenient handles for use in their sliding or shifting adjustment. Both carriers are alike and each has a pair of tubular lens holder-rims +1 projectin from it, one lens R being a red one an the other W a clear or'white one, as ordinarily provided in switch-lamps. These lens-carriers are mounted on the lamp-bar- 3Q relv 5, which latter has openings or windows 6 therein to aline or register with said lenses when the carriers are in place, such openings 6 being of somewhat larger area than that of the lenses so as to allow for the desired circular adjustment or shifting of the carriers around the lamp-barrel to suit the relative positions of the lenses on thesaid. lamp-barrel for the various degrees of curves and the distance of safety thatthe 40 full-face view of the lens shall be provided for up the curve.

Ordinarily, curves of fifteen degrees, more or less, are frequently present at switches in main-lines of railways, and the lens car- 15 riers or segments of my improvement herein should, therefore, have an arc of movement either way, horizontally, around the circular barrel of the lamp, of seven degrees, more or less, whereby the desired full-face View of the lens facing the curve-can be had at least three-fourths of a mile or so up the curve from the switch, and thus the engineer can readily and accurately see what the actual condition or nature of the signal is ahead of him,'and, if red, indicating an open at which the desired full-fac'e view of the lens can be properly seen from the approaching engine, andis the same as the star A in Fig. l.

Clamping bands or collars 7 are provided for use in securing the lens-carriers in adof the curve or at some distancej free, however, to be readily loosened for other adjustment or detachment for repairs orthe like when desired. These bands are parted or split at 8,and turned outwardly at their ends 9'for the use of screws or bolts 10 to contract or draw them into tight lace around the upper and lower edges 0 the said lens-carriers,'the latter being bordered at top and bottom by the beads or ribs 11 made in the lamp barrel or shell 5, as best seen in Fig. 3.

In order to provide for the ready adjustment or shifting of the lens-carriers, one independent of the other around the outer surface of the lamp-barrel, I leave a suitable space or annulus 12, seen in Fig. 4, and in that space I provide, also, a pair of duly spaced rectangular open gaskets or frames 13 made of thin material, one of which is dis- 7 closed in detail plan in Fig. 8, and, in usingother side of the axis of the internal lamp,

sothat the lenses can be full viewed from both directions along the main line whether it be a curve at one side of the switch-lamp and a straightway ahead on the other side, or a curve at both sides of the switch-lamp.

It will be observed that the two lens-car- -riers are independent of each other so that their lenses can be set apart at the desired .distances on the lamp-barrel to suit conditions at both sides of the lamp in the mainline at the switch, one lens frequently requiring more adjustment in one direction than its C(Jll'lPfi-IliOll orlike lens does on the other carrier in the other direction in relation to the sw'tch and its lamp, especiall when curves 0 different degrees are at bot 1 sides of the switch.

The device is equally useful in connection with semaphores and other railway-signaling appliances where accuracy of the char acter of signals and their color are important and of a very serious and valuable nature, and such as are met in the use of my invention.

The lamp is easily assembled with my shiftable lenses, in order to replace them or to adjust them for any purpose required of them and they add no material expense to the lamp.

I claim 1. In a railway switch-lamp, a shell or barrel having light emitting orifices therein, a pair of semiclrcular, circularly-adjustable slide-plates or carriers also having light emitting orifices therein, red and clear White lenses in the orifices of each of the said pair of slide-plates or carriers, contractible bands or collars adapted to hold or clamp said slide-plates or carriers in adjusted position on the said barrel whereby the red lenses or the clear white lenses may be brought into full bulls-eye signaling-view from the switch at any point desired, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a railway switch-lamp, a cylindrical shell or barrel having light port-holes therein, a pair of semicircular, circularlyadjustable, segmental slide-plates or carriers also having coinciding light port-holes therein but supplied with suitable red and clear lenses, vertical outwardly-turned flanges at the opposite ends of the said adjustable segmental slide-plates or carriers, clamping bands or collars adapted to encircle the upper and lower extended ends of the said segmental slide-plates or carriers and to secure them in adjusted position on the said barrel to suit the degree of curve in a main-line of track for directly and fully throwing a beam of light in full face or bulls-eye signal form and strength, and an open rectangular frame orgasket intervening between the said shell or barrel and the said adjustable segmental slide-plates or lens-carriers to prevent currents of air or other leakage into the lamp-chamber, substantially as set forth.

NICHOLAS I. HOEY. 

